The roads of Panama

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To reach the archipelago of San Blas, in the Panama Caribbean Sea, where part of the Kuna population live, one has to fly over thousands and thousands of virgin forests and rivers that flow slowly like dark snakes. On the island of Tan Dup (of the boar), the resort has few Spartan cabanas, made of wood and straw, which have hammocks, in the same style, of the traditional huts of the Kuna, amid the traditional fabrics woven by the women, the fragrance of freshly baked biscuits and bread, the symbols of an animist religion and ancestral rites.

The contrast with the capital, Panama City, is strong, that sparkles in all its modernity, amongst the silvery skyscrapers facing the sea. A place that conserves an ancient soul in the Casco Viejo, that unravels between the vintage, art and design shops, welcoming cafés, boutique hotels; The Canal House, with only three rooms had Daniel Craig as their guest for three months during the filming of the latest James Bond movie.

One has to take another airplane to fly to Bocas del Toro, amongst the most fashionable destinations in the panameño Northeast and a true paradise for nature and animal lovers. The archipelago – currently involved in the National Geographic geotourism program, Bocas sustainable tourism alliance – consists of nine islands, two hundred islets and fifty or so cayos bathed by the turquoise waters and covered by green. Here the lifestyle is easy, a contagious carefreeness.